MRITTYUSONGBAD

admin Bengali March 21, 2025 Comments Closed

Director: Parthasarathi Raha
Playwright: Mohit Chattopadhyay
Group: Ashoknagar Protibimbo, North 24 Parganas
Language: Bengali
Duration: 2 hr 10 mins

The Play

Mrittyusambad is an absurd form of drama termed as Kimitibadi by the author himself. Subodh is in love with Bulu, a brave girl who is the leader of local boys. There is an interesting and drunken character named Nirenkaku who has tried to commit suicide many times. There enters a peculiar man who claims to have killed his father and is in search of a safe shelter. The father of the man appears and reveals that the man had not actually killed him. It is a delusion of his son. Gradually it becomes clear that both father and son live in a world of imagination. When they leave the only thing that remains there is a fragrance.

Director’s Note

Adbhut aandhaar ak…. is this unforgettable coinage eternal? Does our existence face non-existence every moment? Is this life? Then what should be done with it? Like other people, this question troubles me also. Some thoughts are partially clear but most others are hazy. After going through the play Mrityusambad, I felt that its innate discomfort is in tune with my own discomfort. Written in the sixties, this renowned play has previously been directed by celebrated personalities. So naturally I hesitated. But this hesitation gave way to an intense passion and desire to stage it again. I decided to see the text from a different angle. I tried to understand and evaluate the main incidents and characters of the play from the point of view of a side character. This is how this project began and finally staged. I would love to believe that I have already succeeded in transmitting my search with my fellowmen. I also hope that my search will become a part of the audience’s quest, as this ambition is my only asset.

The Director

Parthasarathi Raha was born on 13th October 1976. He is practicing theatre since his childhood. He has acted in several plays like King Solomon and the Bees, directed by Alizabeth Raffel. After that he started practicing third form theatre under the guidance of Samir Kundu. In 2015 he formed his own group, Ashoknagar Protibimbo. Mrittyusongbad is his first directorial venture.

The Playwright

Mohit Chattopadhyay was a poet, dramatist and a screenwriter. He was born in 1934 in Barisal, now in Bangladesh. He did his Masters in Bengali Literature from Calcutta University. He has written more than hundred plays which were and are being produced by different theatre groups of Bengal. He received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1991. He passed away on 12th April 2012 at the age of 78.

The Group

Ashoknagar Protibimbo was established on 17th November 2015. The first production of the group was Noyon Kobirer Pala written by the famous playwright Late Navendu Sen and staged on 27th February 2016 at Sahid Sadan, Ashoknagar. It was also staged at EZCC drama festival and has done sixteen shows.

Cast & Credits

Bulu Arpita Paul

Nirenkaku Avirup Ghatak

Subodh Shantanu Nath

The Stranger Krishnendu Adhikari

Father of the Stranger Anupam Chanda

Violin Player Madhuparna Debnath

Chorus Provat Sarker, Subhajit Kuri,

Mithun Nag, Ayon Bacchar,

Pushan Raha, Surajit Pramanik

Set Design Kneel Koushik

Music Ujan Chattopadhya